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Why could plantation crops such as sugar not grow well on the larger Netherlands Antilles islands?
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Plantation crops such as sugar could not grow well on the larger islands of the Netherlands Antilles primarily due to the dry climate of the region.1
Unlike many other Caribbean islands that relied heavily on the export of sugar, the Netherlands Antilles did not depend on such plantation agriculture. Instead, the economy of the islands, particularly CuraƧao, evolved to focus on regional trading, finance, and services, eventually expanding into oil refining and tourism.1